Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the inaugural edition of My City Links as a weekend newspaper at the State Secretariat here on Thursday.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the My City Awards, a first-of-its-kind city-centric awards instituted by My City Links (MCL), and congratulated the MCL team for its endeavours.
Later in the evening, Bhubaneswar MP Dr Prasanna Patasani, Bhubaneswar (North) MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, Eminent Odissi Dancer Aruna Mohanty, veteran theatre personality Ananta Mohapatra, Secretary, sports and youth services, Vishal Dev and Chairman, Odisha film development corporation, Satyabarata Kuna Tripathy graced a glittering function at Mayfair Convention here.
They gave away the first edition of the My City Awards to 14 individuals/ organisations for contributing to the growth and the development of capital city Bhubaneswar and motivating people with their inspiring life stories. The awards were given in three categories: icons, changemakers and trendsetters.
Businessmen Tararanjan Patnaik (marine exports), Sunjoy Hans (jewellery) and Devjyoti Patnaik (automobiles), education entrepreneur Dr Bijoy Kumar Sahoo and dancer Masaka Ono were conferred with the awards in the icons category. Similarly, Binodini Patnaik (nursing), Rajendra Nayak (deaf and dumb salesperson), Pradeep Prusty (social service), Meghna Sahoo (India’s first transgender to Ola Cab driver), Tara Das (Arisa pitha maker and entrepreneur) and Bakul Foundation (volunteerism) bagged the award in the changemaker bracket.
Further, Yi-Bhubaneswar chapter, Food Findo and Bhubaneswar Komedians were awarded for being trendsetters.
It may be mentioned that as a city-centric fortnightly publication, My City Links has made an earnest attempt to feel the pulse of urban life in Odisha by bringing to our readers its positive happenings and inspirational stories, applauding its achievers, celebrating events, highlighting civic and other issues and reflecting the aspirations of the youth. On the occasion of its fifth anniversary, My City Links has taken a new avatar and become a weekly publication. It shall carry articles about Odisha covering a wide range of topics starting from art, culture, food, travel, fashion, lifestyle, people and entertainment to news and current affairs.
My City Links can also has digital presence and can be viewed at www.mycitylinks.in. Its sister publication Sampark, an Odia weekly magazine, which was unveiled by the Honourable Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on March 31, 2018, has already carved a niche for itself.
Group Editor of MCL and Sampark Sandeep Mishra, Editor of MCL and Sampark Satyabrat (Sanu) Ratho, the Group’s Publisher Sameer Hans, Consulting Editor Vinay Jha spoke on the occasion. Senior Associate Editor of MCL Dikhya Tiwari moderated the event.
